Windermere Foundation December 6, 2019

Windermere Foundation Has Raised Over $1.5 Million This Year!

 

Windermere offices throughout the Western U.S. have been busy raising money and making donations to non-profit organizations in their local communities that provide services to low-income and homeless families. And their efforts are paying off; so far this year we’ve raised over $1.5 million, bringing the total raised by the Windermere Foundation to $39.5 million since 1989.

 

Here are just a few examples of how our offices are giving back to their communities:

 

Fort Collins, Colorado

The Windermere Real Estate office in Fort Collins held its 5th Annual Windermere Foundation Tailgate Party on Friday, September 20. The family-friendly event featured food, drinks, a bouncy house obstacle course, corn hole, face painting, and live music. Over $1,800 was raised for the Windermere Foundation during this event. All proceeds from the tailgate “party with a purpose” benefitted Partners Mentoring Youth and Crossroads Safehouse.

 

Centralia, Washington

The Windermere office in Centralia, WA sponsored the “Down Home: A Toledo Shindig” event held at Bonanza BBQ on September 14 to benefit Toledo School District students in need. Local businesses and residents came together to donate auction items, food, and volunteer their time. Windermere owner Dan Gorton spearheaded the organization of the fundraising event, seeing a need in the community that was not being met. The Gortons provided the venue and the BBQ. Other sponsors provided additional food items, entertainment, and big-ticket items for the auction. The event raised $34,000 for a fund to help provide basic needs for students in the school district, things that low-income families couldn’t otherwise afford.

 

Photo Courtesy of Josie Ray Photography

 

Spokane, Washington

The Windermere office in Spokane, WA held their annual Windermere Shoes and Socks Event at their local Big 5 sporting goods store on August 24. Windermere agents and family members volunteered their time to help 132 children select a pair of shoes and socks. An additional 250 pairs of socks were also donated by Liberty Lake Rotary. In total, the Windermere office donated over $5,400 to provide shoes and socks to local children in need.

 

 

Windermere offices are proud to host events in their communities, like the ones mentioned above. These generous donations to the Windermere Foundation further our mission to support low-income and homeless families in the areas where we live and work. If you’d like to help support programs in your community, please click the Donate button.

 

To learn more about the Windermere Foundation, visit WindermereFoundation.com.

BlogDenver Real Estate MarketEconomics 101 June 28, 2019

How to Get Started in Real Estate Investing

Posted in Buying by Kenady Swan 

Investing in real estate is one of the world’s most venerable pathways to building wealth. When properly managed, income from renting or real estate investment trusts can provide you with the financial security to plan out the rest of your life. The conclusion is easy to envision, but knowing where to begin can be overwhelming, particularly for anyone who has never previously owned a home.

At Windermere our goal is always to improve and support our communities, so we’ve put together a few key things to keep in mind as you enter the world of real estate investment.

Know the right type of investment for you

Investing in real estate needn’t commit you to being a landlord. A Real Estate Investment Trust (REIT) is a low-maintenance way to get involved in real estate with next to none of the day-to-day monitoring required of direct property management. REITs are trusts that typically own multiple properties, and investors may purchase shares within the REIT. Typically, as the value of the property rises, so too do the values of your shares. If you’d like to dip a toe into real estate investing before diving in fully, a REIT is a great place to start.

Start with your own home

Owning the roof over your head is a basic step towards investing success. Even better, when you plan to live in the home you’re buying (rather than renting it out), you will likely benefit from lower mortgage rates and a cheaper down payment. The reasoning is straightforward – lenders see a loan to people purchasing the home they live in as an investment in people highly committed to the property.

Once you’ve owned your own house for a few years, you can look to purchase a new home to move into. By purchasing the new home with the intent to move in, you’ll be eligible to receive more favorable financing once again. After you’ve secured your new home, your first home is primed to be transformed into a rental property, and you can continue to see a return on your investment. If you’re seeking further support with buying a first, second, or third home, our website and our agents are full of information.

Cast a wide net

The best investment opportunity isn’t always going to be right underneath your nose. While there are logistical benefits to focusing locally with your investment, you may miss more profitable opportunities in another burgeoning market. Real estate is a long game, and patience tends to be rewarded. There’s no cause to rush a decision of this magnitude, so investigating other states and regions to find the property that best fits your situation is a process worth considering.

WMDRE Blog March 13, 2017

Spotlight on the Windermere Foundation

The Windermere Foundation was created to help support low-income and homeless families within our communities. We started as a grass-root foundation based in Washington State in 1989 and have continued to grow with each passing year. We are now active in 10 states across the United States and have raised an astounding $33 million dollars in support for our partner programs and organizations. We have been able to help more people than we ever imagined and it is all attributed to our incredible Windermere agents, employees, and community members.

How do we do what we do?

Our incredible Windermere Real Estate agents donate a portion of their commissions for every home that they sell to our non-profit Windermere Foundation. Every single agent participates in this give back program as well as many of our other employees and members in our communities. In 2016 alone our supporters were able to raise $2.2 million dollars! These donations are utilized by our individual offices to support local non-profits with in their communities. By allowing our offices to choose which organizations they help, their specific communities are able to receive the type of support that they need most and our agents become increasingly more committed to their cause.

Who do we help?

The Windermere Foundation helps support a large variety of programs and services. These services are focused on assisting low-income and homeless families to improve their quality of life and get back on their feet again. Families are able to receive support for basic human needs like food and clothing, but also for housing, education, counseling, and school programs. Our goal has always been to improve the quality of life for families and help their children grow up with opportunities for success.

Practical ways that our offices support their communities include donating to food banks, providing school supplies for students, donating clothing, shoes, and blankets to keep warm in the winter, and even fulfilling wishes through Make-A-Wish programs. Additionally this year we began a new partnership with the Seattle Seahawks to support homeless youth. For every home game tackle the Seahawks made during the 2016 football season, Windermere donated $100 to YouthCare. YouthCare is a non-profit organization that provides necessary needs for our homeless youth. This partnership resulted in an impressive $35,000 of financial support for YouthCare at the end of the season!

We will continue to partner with successful local non-profits in our communities and support our families in every way we can. It has been an honor to watch so many lives be positively impacted over the past 27 years and hope to continue to do so for at least another 27 years to come!

Check out our blog for more tips or contact us for advice:

Windermere Metro Denver Real Estate

(720) 643-4411

metrodenver@windermere.com

WMDRE Blog February 13, 2017

The Windermere Philosophy and Purpose: We Are in the Business of Putting Families in Homes

In 2016, over 560k people were homeless. Of those, 206k were families living in the streets. Youth and young adults make up 141k of those numbers. While there are emergency shelters, transitional housing, and safe havens that offer transitional assistance, there are very few organizations working to get families back in homes. We want to change that.

Since our first preparations for launch back in 1988, The Windermere Foundation wanted to expand our giving-back-to-the-community philosophy. We have developed a strong tradition of putting families back in homes. This mission aligns with our business purpose, and allows us to focus 100% of our efforts on those in need. Whether we are helping families who don’t have a place to live, providing services to the children of those who are homeless, or helping homeless parents care for themselves and their family, our mission remains the same.

Our specific focus allows us to make a bigger impact. Concentrated giving provides a greater control of how money is spent within a program and project. The beautiful part of our Foundation is seeing immediate results of our efforts in both the community and among our ranks and contributors.

Our united giving program has received extensive media attention and financial support. Even better, we see the direct impact in our local community as people are given a second chance at stability.

Less than 5% of every dollar contributed to the foundation goes toward administration costs, paving the path to a more meaningful, results-driven impact.

We agree that there are many wonderful organizations and causes in need. While we wish we could help everyone, splitting our funds will take away from the capabilities of our organization. We champion this cause because it is near and dear to our hearts and, as a Real Estate company, this is something that aligns with our vision and purpose.

Putting families in homes is what we do. Whether it’s using traditional methods, or through the Windermere Foundation, we are dedicated and driven to providing the best possible service.

The Windermere Foundation works well with Community Service Day events or office holiday giving programs. Our love of community is a personal touch that creates a powerful and lasting benefit. Your donations guarantee impact that you can see and guarantee that everyone wins.

We stand by our philosophy and are grateful to those who light the way to success. The homeless in America is not just a statistic. It’s our community.

Check out our blog for more tips or contact us for advice:

Windermere Metro Denver Real Estate

(720) 643-4411

metrodenver@windermere.com